Upcoming bond elections will provide contracting opportunities

On Nov. 6, voters in Texas will decide the fate of numerous public projects totaling approximately $5.6 billion. This will be the largest cumulative bond package total amount in Texas since May 2008 and more than double the November 2011 level.

A handful of large bond propositions in the metropolitan areas of the state constitute the majority of the funding uptick. For example, bond proposals to fund capital infrastructure projects for the cities of Houston, Dallas, El Paso and Austin make up $1.9 billion of the total. Voters in Houston are also facing a $1.9 billion bond proposition for Houston Independent School District and another $425 million for Houston Community College System. In addition to these large bond programs, other bond elections will be held throughout the state.

The November bond elections will provide hundreds of contracting opportunities requiring architectural and engineering, infrastructure and facility construction and construction management. Larger municipalities typically secure architecture and engineering services early on in the process.

For example, soon after citizens passed the city of San Antonio’s bond program in May, the city issued a request for qualifications for the mass selection of civil engineering services for bond program projects. City staff will begin selecting firms for projects using a phased approach beginning in September. The majority of the design work will be completed in 2014, which will allow the city to begin bidding for the construction phase of each project. The city issued similarly structured procurements for architectural design and landscape design services for bond program projects.

The cities of Dallas and Corpus Christi, which both have bond proposals before voters in November, have already advertised solicitations for the design phase of their projects.

In addition to design and construction services, bond elections provide opportunities for suppliers and professional service firms. The construction of new buildings requires furniture, fixtures and equipment as well as security systems, technology infrastructure and hardware. Other common bond-funded purchases include vehicles such as fire trucks and school buses. On the professional services side, there will be a need for advisers, bond counsel and construction audit firms.

Here are a few examples of what the bond elections, if approved by voters, will fund:

• New construction projects at multiple locations of Houston Community College System. Highlights include a Westside Campus for Northwest College at a cost of $53 million, a $120 million health care education and early college building for Coleman College and a $27 million Stafford Campus workforce building for Southwest College.

• A school district in San Antonio needs $165 million and the majority of those funds will go toward the construction of a new high school. Other projects include technology upgrades, technology center expansion, maintenance projects, districtwide renovations and additions, and school bus replacements.

Prior bond elections continue to provide opportunities for contractors. Following are a few examples of current and upcoming projects that are yet to be initiated in spite of funding being available:

In December, the city of Arlington plans to issue a bid for construction of the Bowman Branch Linear Park Trail. The $1.2 million project will include a new, 12-foot-wide concrete hike and bike trail with a pedestrian bridge and parking lot expansion. The project was included in the city’s 2005 bond election, but the city has also received grant funds from the Texas Department of Transportation to complete the project.

Pasadena Independent School District has an immediate opportunity for a contractor for the Veterans Memorial Sports Complex additions and renovations project, which includes improvements to rest rooms, concession stands, dressing-room areas and parking lots as well as the construction of a new field house and a new aquatics facility. This project was funded through the district’s successful November 2011 bond election.

North East Independent School District has an upcoming construction manager-at-risk opportunity related to its 2011 bond program for additions and renovations. The $23.7 million project budget includes a 14-classroom addition, athletic facility replacement, central plant facility upgrades and landscaping services.

McKinney Independent School District is currently working to complete its $191 million bond program. In 2013, the district will begin the design phase for a project at Malvern Elementary School.

Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., co-founder of Gemini Global Group and author of 'Collaboration Nation,' mnabers@spartnerships.com.